1. Technology
The present invention relates to a data writing method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module, a memory controller and a memory storage apparatus using the method.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the rapid growth of digital cameras, cell phones, and MP3 devices in recent years, the consumers' demand for storage media has increased drastically. Since a rewritable non-volatile memory has the characteristics of non-volatility of data, low power consumption, small volume, non-mechanical structure, and fast reading and writing speed, the rewritable non-volatile memory is the most adaptable memory to be applied in a portable electronic product, such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a notebook computer, and so on. Therefore, the flash memory industry has become a very popular part of the electronic industry in recent years.
In general, a buffer memory is disposed in a flash memory controller of a flash memory storage apparatus, and when the flash memory storage apparatus receives a write command and a plurality of data, the flash memory controller temporarily stores the data into the buffer memory and then writes the data into corresponding physical pages according to the arrangement of the physical pages. However, physical pages constituted by one word line have a coupling effect by each other, and therefore if there is a program failure in a physical page, data stored in another physical page having the coupling effect with the physical page may be lost. For example, one physical block has a plurality of physical page set, and each of the physical page set includes one lower physical pages and one upper physical page. When there is a program failure in an upper physical page of a physical page set, data stored in the lower physical page of the same physical page set may be lost. In particular, based on the program sequence of the physical pages defined in the flash memory standard, several upper physical pages may be proceeded to program after several lower physical pages have been programmed. Therefore, after a write command (hereinafter referred to as “the first write command”) has been executed, only lower physical pages is written with data in some physical page sets, and upper physical pages of the physical page sets may be written with data at next write command (hereinafter referred to as “the second write command”). In this case, if a program failure occurs during the execution of the second write command for writing data into upper physical pages, data written in the lower physical pages by executing the first write command may be lost. In order to prevent the data stored in the lower physical pages from losing, the flash memory controller may keep the data in the buffer memory and when it is confirmed that the data stored in the lower physical pages dose not lost due to the programming of other physical pages, the data may be deleted from the buffer memory. Accordingly, a flash memory storage system is needed to equip with a buffer memory having a larger capacity, thereby increasing the cost of manufacturing the flash memory storage system. In particular, in a flash memory storage system equipped with a plurality of flash memory dies, a buffer memory having a larger capacity is needed to temporarily store data written by the host system.
Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.